


The Niffler, The Witch and The Briefcase

by HighFunctioningSarah



Series: Jinx Anthology [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Adorable Newt Scamander, Cinnamon Roll Newt Scamander, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Movie 1: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Multi, Newt Scamander is a Dork, Newt Scamander is a Sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighFunctioningSarah/pseuds/HighFunctioningSarah
Summary: Newt Scamander's Niffler has gotten loose aboard a ship, and one lost necklace later you find yourself face to face with the magizoologist.The first story within the Jinx Anthology Series.
Relationships: Newt Scamander & You, Newt Scamander/You
Series: Jinx Anthology [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713607
Kudos: 7





	The Niffler, The Witch and The Briefcase

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: None

You huffed, stuffing your free hand into the pocket of your scratchy coat. The chilly winter air engulfed you, sending a shiver down your spine. You attempted to rub your numb fingers together, trying to bring some warmth into them. You hated this time of year, when the people of New York had an attitude to match the weather - cold. You longed to finally return to London to your family where things were less foreign.

With a tug, you pulled your purple umbrella from above your head, wrapping it and placing it in a pocket on the side of your suitcase. The smell of seawater and factory smoke filled the air, now familiar to your senses from being in a city for so long. In a futile attempt to focus on something else, you unwrapped a Pepper Imp and popped the sweet into your mouth. Minty flavour exploded across your tongue.

Your gaze travelled to the boat in front of you and all of the Londoners standing on it. They bore happy smiles, waving at loved ones on the docks and collecting their suitcases. One man in particular caught your eye, standing by a woman with dark, short hair. He wore a blue trenchcoat and had curly, reddish brown hair that seemed untameable. A blue and yellow striped scarf wrapped around his neck, partially covering a blue bow-tie. A brown briefcase rested beside him, shifting a little.

You shook your head, scolding yourself for invading the couples privacy. With a double take, you stared at the leather briefcase in curiosity as it shifted again. You reached for the shiny locket around your neck, fiddling with the chain. The therapeutic action calmed you slightly, but you knew in a moment that this man didn't own an ordinary suitcase and was no muggle.

Though you were a few metres away, you swore you saw a tab on the briefcase flick open. The man didn't seem to notice, too busy with the conversation. You waited a few seconds, hoping he would spot the open lock.

"Sir, your uh, briefcase is opening." You called, wary of leaving your belongings and attracting muggle attention. The stranger took no notice of you. The second lock flicked over, leaving the briefcase open.

Sighing, you approached the pair, lugging your belongings behind you, deciding to bring them rather than leave. The woman noticed your approach, the smile on her face fading a little. Up close, you noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt, but, your suitcase is... Opening itself..." You began, nervousness controlling your speech.

The man's eyes widened.

He spun a little, crouching to check his briefcase. With a sigh of relief, he clicked the locks shut.

"Thank you." He began. "Thank you very much. Can't have all my... Things falling out and spilling across the dock."

"It wasn't a problem." You responded, mesmerised by his youthful eyes that seemed to have an infinite depth to them. There was no denying you were attracted to the wizard, even if he had lied to you about the suitcase.

You stood there, looking at each other for some time, until the man cleared his throat. "I best be off then." He said to his companion. "I'll see you soon Tina."

Feeling like an invader, you began you walk towards the boarding ramps, which were now deserted. The attendant checked your ticket, smiling and returning it to you. Taking a few steps, you stole a final glance at New York, well aware that this may be your last visit to the city that never sleeps. A smile worked its way upon your lips, happy yet sad at the same time.

"Au revoir." You mumbled.

You turned to find a seat inside the main part of the boat, deciding to enjoy the view from inside where it was less crowded. Once inside, the smell of the city dissipated, instead replaced by vanilla and coffee. You sighed contentedly at the smell, sitting down on a vacant table in the almost empty room and reached for your locket. Your fingertips instead met the bare skin around your neck, the entire chain gone.

Anxiety smacked you hard in the face, letting in panicked thoughts about where you had left the gift. Patting the crinkled seat around you and checking the neck of your white shirt, you started to realise it wasn't on the ship. Maybe the clasp came undone when I talked to the man outside you thought. You stood, prepared to search for the man rather than leave your necklace behind.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a small, furry creature with a bill stuffing your locket into its pouch. You gasped, grabbing your wand.

"Levicorpus!" You shouted, making the creature levitate in the air.

You collected your bag and walked towards it tentatively, grabbing its scruff and putting it in your suitcase. With a sigh of relief, you ran your fingers through your hair and slipped your wand into a pocket. You heard a gasp in the room, and your attention was drawn to an older lady who had seen what happened.

You reequipped your wand.

"Obliviate." You said, a pale glow emitting from the end of your wand. You felt a little guilty about putting a charm on the woman, but relieved that you handled the situation well.

Turning to return to your belongs - and the strange creature - you smacked heads with the man you had seen outside on the docks.

He rubbed his head, scrunching his face up in pain.

"Are you alright?" You asked.

The man nodded. "I'm fine." He said, checking on something behind his collar. He smiled, turning his attention to the room before him. Sidestepping you, the stranger glanced behind a nearby table.

"I didn't catch your name before, out on the docks." You said, trying to strike up a conversation with the man.

"My name is Newt Scamander." He began. "What's yours?"

"(Y/n) (y/l/n)." You responded.

Newt continued to look around the room, his attention in something else. He drew his wand a short distance from his body, concealing it almost completely.

"Look, mister Scamander-"

"I really do prefer Newt."

" _Newt._ I don't know what you're looking for, but this creature..." You lowered your voice. "This magical beast was in the room before. It took my-"

Newt's head snapped up to look at you, suddenly taking an interest in what you said.

"Magical? There's no such thing as magic." He said, turning serious and boring into your eyes, as if testing you for an answer.

After a few moments, you answered.

"Slytherin."

"Hufflepuff." He responded, a smile breaking out across his face. You both exchanged a look, before he turned away to look somewhere else.

"So where is the creature?" He asked.

You bit your lip.

"I put him in my suitcase." You mumbled.

Newt smiled a little more, chuckling.

"It's not funny!" You scolded. "He took my locket, which I need back."

Newt nodded. "So the niffler then?"

You furrowed your brows, confused. "Niffler?"

"Yes. Looks a bit like a platypus and a mole. Likes shiny things - hence the stolen locket - and has a tendency to escape." Newt explained, looking for your bag.

"From your briefcase?" You asked.

"Yes, my briefcase," he said distractedly. "Where is that suitcase of yours?"

You pointed towards the dark bag next to a table at the back of the room. "So that's why it was moving before."

Newt didn't respond, instead pointing his wand at your bag, still concealing it. He unzipped the suitcase, and a dark mass off fur toppled out with a soft cry. The moment it hit the ground, the curly-haired wizard picked the creature up by its foot. He proceeded to tickle the beast's belly, countless coins falling out of its pouch. 

Finally, your locket dropped onto the seat, completely intact. The niffler looked sad at the loss of it, but you happily scooped it up and attempted to fasten it around your neck. With the necklace now reattached around your neck, you felt a sense of relief wash over you. Newt opened his briefcase and pushed the beast inside. He quickly scanned the room around you, making sure no muggles had seen the squabble.

A feeling of curiosity sparked inside of you.

"Are there more of those niffler creatures in that briefcase of yours?" You asked.

Newt smiled at your interest. "No, there isn't any more of them." He said.

You sighed a little disappointedly, fascinated by the man with a briefcase and a beast.

"So why do you have a niffler?" You asked.

"To put it simply, I'm writing a book about fantastic beasts and where to find them." Newt answered.

"Like a guide to magical beasts?"

"Exactly."

"I'd imagine that's why you're in New York then." You said.

"It is. I'm going back to London to finally write the book." Newt explained.

"But surely you'd need more than one niffler to write a book about those sort of things."

"Who said I didn't have any other creatures in my briefcase?" Newt beamed.

Your eyes widened a little in wonder, gaze lingering from Newt to the briefcase and back again.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Not at all."

A smile broke out across your face.


End file.
